Food first, thoughts after... The food. Wow. I got the golden temple stack with no sour cream add spinach and my goodness DELICIOUS!!!! I also got the lentil soup and it was delicious. The best lentil soup I have ever had. Now let me explain why I gave it 4 stars and not 5. The cafe is spacious with lots of seating. Very bright and filled with plants. The staff are very chill if that makes sense. No smiles, jokes, even conversations amongst themselves. They move at a slower pace. I placed a call in order and I still had to wait some time and observed all this while standing there. The staff are not in a hurry. Not necessarily a negative thing but just the vibe at that moment. Something else significant that I noticed, was there was no AC. I got 3 golden temple stacks with added vegetables and a 8oz soup along with tip totaling $53.13. They ask you in person if you want to add a tip so be prepared for that. There is parking specific for golden temple and a person sitting outside monitoring the space. I would definitely go back for the food but the stars do have to align. I do not want to be the person picking it up and I would only dine in during winter months. read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Golden Temple Stack - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Highly recommend the black bean burger, or the burrito supreme. Great value for a filling meal. Lovely environment, and supplements galore.

I'm surprised that ibdidnt leave this review earlier. Golden Tenole Cafe offers organic based food options and drink. There is also a bookstore with other mind emevafuong options for sale. This experience i received in this store was just what I needed given the series of events that took place before I walked in. Upon arrival I was called to the art work on the wall. A hand-painted picture if Ganesh. To the left a Ganesh was a hand-painted wooden carving of Durga, a warrior goddess who is the protector of the universe. If you know me or anything about my daughter, then the connections drawn out. It was exactly what I asked for, a sign from the universe. And she delivered! The story goes on to say when I asked about the Durga carving, I thought it would cost me about 200.00. The store manager went on the shelf to bring it down. It was dusty and had been there for many years. It was the last one in the store and she offered me a deal. Rather than pay full price, she offered me a significant discount off the art piece. It was at this point that I knew and felt the presence that I was asking for. I then shares the story about my daughter to a couple of the employees behind the register and an interested customer who sensed a great story was about to unfold read more

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This morning, my boyfriend and I decided to eat at Golden Temple. This was my first time eating there and my boyfriend's second time. Entering the cafe we noticed a strong herbal scent that was pretty soothing. It was then that we realized there was a store alongside the cafe as well. The cafe itself had a pretty welcoming atmosphere with not that many staff workers. The cafe seemed to be pretty clean as well and eco friendly at its core. To eat, I ordered the Golden Temple Stack and my boyfriend ordered the Tofu Salad Sandwich. The Golden Temple Stack included guacamole, salsa, sour cream, Monterrey jack cheese, black beans, and brown rice layered in a bowl. My boyfriend's Tofu Salad Sandwich included whole wheat bread, romaine lettuce, tomato, vegan mayonnaise, and mustard with a side of the kettle brand jalapeño potato chips. For our drinks be both just got waters. I really enjoyed my bowl because of the Tex-Mex blends that made it easier for me to like since I'm neither a vegan or a vegetarian. My boyfriend also enjoyed his tofu sandwich and is wanting to try the other sandwiches they have as well. Go check out Golden Temple! read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

A great place for vegetarian and vegan food! The daily special is always changing which I love! This is a staple for me for veggie meals in Birmingham. I love their coffee as well. I've shopped the goods at the store for years! Perfect place for incense, jewelry, crystals, anything spiritual. The employees were so lovely and helpful ! Great environment to shop and eat all in one. read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Today's haul - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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I appreciate that this establishment accommodates vegetarians and vegans. Slightly more expensive than I prefer for a casual lunch restaurant, I often pay a minimum of $15 per visit, but the portions are generous. The food is of high quality and the components are of good standard. This is my preferred location for breakfast and brunch. I frequent this place for the sweet and sour tofu. They were ideal for my palate. Additionally, the store features a wide variety of vitamins and other nutrients on one side, while the other side showcases crystals and apparel. You are allowed to try on some of the items. read more

Amazing market with tons and tons and tons to look at! They have an amazing selection of gifts, books, clothes, bags, and seriously so much more! The entire staff was helpful and making sure everyone was taken care of. read more

I was very excited to find this place as a plant based from scratch eater from Brooklyn. Walking in they were playing digital planets which was cool, I liked the vibe and was browsing through the store when I realized I was being followed by their staff. Now I know very well when I am being followed. I wish I would have recorded but at one point I am looking at some section and I turn around and there's an employee literally right behind me to the point where I almost stepped on them. It was really disgusting actually. Someone from Brooklyn who has access to many little people of color owned health stores this place is super over priced esp for this area. They were selling tahini for $8. It was cool to see that they had options but if you are about the community it would actually be affordable. In the cafe there was this cool black person working who was really nice and treated me like a normal person and I got the vegan mac and cheese and a vegan cupcake that was really good. I wouldn't go back and that's sad cause I would much rather support a small place over whole foods. Food was very good, the people clearly have some prejudice which is ironic. I would give the food 4.5 stars and the staff negative 10 minus the one black person. read more

I totally understand several of the complains this place gets... and I actually don't believe they are so wrong. That said, I like this place. I go there at least 3 times a week! I'm from the PNW so it may be the case that I'm used to this kind of place style, but I think that nothing wrong in this unusual (for B'ham) Cafe. The grocery actually has items you can forget to find in the rest of the city (downtown). The cafe has Good Food! It's a truly vegetarian option for those that don't want a BBQ rib stack twice a week in the restaurants in front, or for those that like simple carefully made meals. People are nice and smiling. Yes, a bit snobby has anyone (on average) following the " spiritual vibe" the place wants to represent. But I've no problem with that. And you know what? They actually know how to make a good espresso! Suggested for a good light meal and to enjoy having around some easy going people at lunch time. I'm a new fan! read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Golden temple salad - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Great location for a cafe/grocery store. This store caters to the vegan crowd (mostly), and the food other than the price is reasonable. Parking is fairly reasonable, and the staff very nice. Not sure if this would be an evening place to eat, however if you're looking for a healthy lunch while wanting to visit your local grocery store, then this is a great place to visit in downtown Birmingham. Definitely worth a trip to visit and explore. read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Golden Temple has some really nice authentic products all the way from teas, soaps, vitamins and supplements, vegetables & herbs, fresh clean water, essentials are great. read more

I like that this place caters to vegetarians and vegans. Little pricier then what I would like in a casual lunch spot, I spend at least $15 every time I go in- but you do get a ton of food. The food is good and the ingredients aren't bad quality. Can't comment much on service because it's pretty much self serve. I do enjoy their "mexican" meals and smoothies. Will be back! read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Nachos - Really big portion. Could split between two people if you aren't starving - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Came by after being away from the city for 15 years. This place was one of the few vegetarian options I had found back, it's still here so I thought, wow- it must have improved. Well, I was wrong. The same homeless people seem to 'own' the parking lot, careful getting out of your car and making the short trek into the store. When walking in it looked EXACTLY the same as it did 15 years ago, with the exception of a new clothes section seemed to be added. The dust on the shelves was reminiscent of the dust that was there 15 years ago, the messy aisles and unusual merchandise was all exactly where it had been before. The crystal selection had grown but in my opinion was no where near as nice as it used to be. I just peeked into the cafe, after so long and it being the only option years ago, it felt good to walk out of there and go and cook my own vegetarian food in my Airbnb. But the worst part is what HAS changed. A very large short blond employee followed me through the whole store... there was a homeless lady undressing and using the hygiene products in the back aisle but that employee was following ME.... OK. Get it together Golden Temple, this isn't the 70's and Birmingham has better, cheaper, fresher options now. read more

I went to ask about the hours st the store and the lady yelled at me ,she said what do you want.well l never want to shop there again they are as fake as the thing's they sell read more

This was a little piece of healthy, hippy heaven in the deep south! This store draws in the enlightened and health-seeking people from all around Birmingham. I lived in Boulder, Colorado for 12 years (and still go there monthly) and I can tell you, there is not one current grocery stop there that has anything on Golden Temple as far as cool, friendly and inviting goes. This place has it together! There is a restaurant attached to the store as well, but I didn't get the opportunity to try it out. If I lived in Birmingham, I'd be in Golden Temple every week! read more

I want to love Golden Temple. I want to be one of those cool yoga-mat toting girls who always finds parking in Southside and breezes in and out with some vegan delight and a smile on my face. But, I'm not that girl. I lug my yoga mat around, am nearly incapable of parallel parking, and usually end up in a bad mood because I was ripped off by some random dude "guarding" a parking lot near Golden Temple. That's the set up of every time I've been there (and no, I don't carry my yoga mat in just to make a statement- that would result in the casualties of hundreds of supplement bottles, containers of Braggs Liquid Aminos, and more). Golden Temple sells a small selection of natural/homeopathic goods and organic foods- they are all overpriced in my opinion. I'll just go to the Green Door in Mtn Brook Village if I want this type of experience, because it is both cleaner and the service is infinitely better. My main issue here is the lasagna I ate here once. It was the nastiest thing I have ever eaten. I was excited because it was gluten-free and I had a hankering for "normal" comfort food. The rather incompetent server microwaved it (which, for the record, generally degrades the quality of the food and shouldn't small super health-focused stores know better than to subject their clientele to the damage caused by microwaves?). Then, she neglected to inform me that the cheese on my oh-so-deserved lasagna was fake. It was nasty fake vegan cheese. The other lasagna for gluten tolerant folk had real cheese, but I guess they decided to throw all the eggs (or not!) into one basket with my chosen dish. If I am hungry, I will be able to force myself to eat enough to not pass out. Not this time- it was so gross I threw it away. I felt guilty for not offering it to one of the dozens of homeless men that lurk about in 5 Points, but I realized they would probably be offended if I offered them this grossness. So, Golden Temple, Birmingham is in the big leagues now. We have a Whole Foods. We have Green Door. We have Organic Harvest. Aka, we have seen the light and know that we, the health conscious and usually gluten and/or meat free, deserve nice, clean stores with informative and helpful staff and an array of both delectable and reasonably affordable products that you, the staff, have tried and tested and can personally recommend. read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

I love GT cafe! I've only been a few times for lunch, but I've enjoyed the same dish each time I go. Its a perfect lunch date with a cool co worker and its in walking distance to other cool options if your group isn't interested in vegetarian. Its also one of those quaint getaway from the madness spot....where no-one of interest will find you. I enjoy the golden stack like a complex dish. It's just a bed of brown rice, black beans, tomatoes (& I don't even like tomatoes), mozz cheese, topped with dollops of both sour cream & guac! Perfect equation of YUM! Its so fantastic. I've even tried to make this dish at home-its close enough when I've got sour cream. Though there are specials per day of the week, I keep going back to my trusty dish. One day, I'll get the balls to try something new. For me its priced fairly especially for lunch where you have the option to get a half or full size dish. Its fresh, healthy & you feel so great after eating it-this is how food should be devoured! Anyhow-the market is pretty cool if you're into that stuff. I've gone back for the agave gummy bears-its good stuff. You should give it a try. Its a cizy corner spot full of nice/hip/helpful people. The customer service if anything is the one thing that will keep you coming back! Happy vegan/vegetarian eats read more

Located in downtown Birmingham just off of the five points square. This place is not only a good vegetarian cafe, but there's a awesome health food store in the other half of the building. You can find just about any chemical-free or organic item you desire. I truly enjoyed the tofu stir fry! It was so good I didn't even recognize that it was meatless. I've also tried the bean chili which was seasoned just right. My friends got the hummus salad & a few other items. This is one of the few vegetarian spots in this city & the food is cooked with amazing flavoring! There's more food on the menu to explore. read more

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I really wanted to like this place. I really did... But I couldn't. From the start, the name- I have always had bad experiences with places that start their name with __ Temple __. Unfortunately, this place follows the namesake experiences that I have encountered. When you walk into the place, there is a lot of space. However, that space is not very inviting. It seems and feels old and run-down. There is produce, but it is all locked away into glass door enclosed refrigerators, like freezers that are warmer just for the produce. As you continue walking down the aisle of refrigerators, some are freezers, and then in the back, they are all inaccessible in terms of products - labeled as for employees only. This made me feel like all of the refrigerated and freezer items were unappealing to my tastebuds and to my wallet. Then, as you continue perusing the aisles, there are items and staples expected to be seen in health food stores. The food items just don't seem to be very appealing, and of all the people in the store, no one was really looking to buy food stuffs. Instead, they were mostly looking at the incense, oils, and non-food gift items. While this is alright, I tend to go to something entitled "Grocery & Cafe" in hopes of purchasing food. When I walked into the cafe area, it, too, was quite commodius. There was a small, open freezer as you walked in with a few random ice cream pints that were rather overpriced. Inside the cafe, there were no staffers, as it was closed. The times were very limited for when they served food. However, there were still a couple customers just sitting around in the space. The menu seemed rather limited, too, with just a handful of offerings on the daily menu whiteboard. Even if it were open, the environment and menu would not have encouraged or persuaded me to purchase anything. So, suffice it to say, I did not purchase nor did I want to purchase anything from this business. I feel that maybe if I were looking for non-food non-consumed items, it would be alright, but, otherwise.... not an inviting space by my standards. read more

The food's decent, but the store is kind of a hippy dippy place where the people don't believe in science--while I waited for my sandwich, a dude tried to convince me that physics is propaganda spread by moneyed foundations and sell me a metal pyramid thing that would "protect" me from WiFi and 5G. Big yikes, someone get this man a... well, I was gonna say "science textbook," but he probably thinks those are propaganda too. 4.5 for the food, 1 star for the store. read more

Being vegetarian is hard in Alabama, but I've always been thankful for the diversity in Birmingham cuisine. But...a restaurant that is entirely vegetarian?!?? Love it. My mom (Mummy ) discovered this place when I was in college, and it has become our weekend lunch spot since then. I love that they offer affordable, delicious vegetarian entrees + a juice bar + espresso-based coffee drinks. Everything is mouth-watering (as long as you like vegetables!), and the staff is always friendly. Mummy, my fiancé, and I always get three large servings of carrot juice + three large portions of the Golden Temple Stack. If you don't know what to order, I highly recommend the Stack--it is fresh, healthy, and basically a burrito in a bowl. The best part is being full from earthy goodness and strolling over to the grocery portion after. We always buy incense after! read more

Golden Temple Cafe - My favorite: the Golden Temple Stack! - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

This past Friday, I was able to get a fantastic lunch from The Golden Temple Café. Until eating here, I was a complete stranger to vegan food and my experience here has certainly encouraged me to try more. I ordered the root vegetable curry which was sublime. The spicing was perfect for a pleasant and mild curry. I would absolutely recommend coming in here to pick up some lunch if you are in the area! The restaurant has also taken precautions to ensure that customers are safe during the pandemic. Employees are masked and takeout is available for customers. Socially distant seating is also available in the restaurant. It terms of improvements, it would be amazing to see the takeout containers be made of more sustainable materials. read more

Food is great. Service is awful. Really hoping for another vegetarian place to open up in Birmingham. A little competition might put some pressure on these folks to treat their customers like they actually want them to come! Fingers crossed. But until then, I'll keep coming to get the meat-free food and just deal with the poor service. Alas. read more

This place is the dumps. Aloof and arrogant staff along with items in a disarray and an overall dirtiness to boot. I have given this place chance after chance. And each time, I curse myself for even bothering. The first time, was because of a Groupon over a year ago. Total waste of time. Since then, I only go when I need some Stevia. I end up going through the store to browse, even though I don't know what the heck for. Most of their items are just outrageously priced, if they have the item at all. I haven't even bothered with the cafe. I'm not into pretentious prissys. For better service and better items along with better prices and a better cafe....do yourself a favor and pass this store and just go to Whole Foods or better yet, Organic Harvest. read more

I love this place. This is my go-to shop for natural herbs, essential oils, and vegan food items.

I don't go here for anything organic, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, fair trade, or all natural. I'm sure all of those things are well and good, but I go for the Golden Temple Stack. This is pretty much a meatless burrito bowl. Rice, beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. They have a self-serve station with plenty of hot sauces and jalapenos. The Stack comes in a small or large serving; I've never been able to finish the small in one sitting. I'm giving this place 3 stars because every time I've gone in to eat, there's been some clientele that has really put me off my meal. I'm talking visually and aromatically disturbing. The cafe itself is pretty clean, so maybe I should just order to-go when The Stack craving comes along. read more

We arrived for lunch and had no problem finding parking in their lot. The store was fairly busy, but not overly so. The store has a limited selection of produce and groceries. The bulk section is very small. Things seem relatively expensive. It has many interesting assortment of trinkets, Buddha statues, clothing. rocks, and the like. In any case, we went to the Cafe and tried their special, enchilada dinner. The portion size was generous, easily satisfying two people. More like a vegetarian lasagne, the dish seemed a little soggy and mushy. Despite having some cheese, the plate had little taste. One can incidentally get a vegan version upon request for about $1.50 more. The dinner came with lima bean soup with rosemary. Like the main course, it was very mushy and had little flavor. It was uninspiring. There were black beans and rice on the side, and those were fine. Perhaps other dishes are better. We also split a 32-oz smoothie. They seem to use real ingredients and depend on the flavor of the fruits and juices, rather than bolstering it with lots of sugar. Unlike chain smoothie places, it doesn't have ground ice in it. One gets to pick the ingredients at the counter. I was pleased by the smoothie. I appreciated that the menu had many vegetarian and vegan options. The ingredients, I presume, are high quality and organic. The cashier person was very helpful and enthusiastic. He instructed them to split the one meal onto two plates and split the smoothie into two glasses. The food was served promptly. And, tea was free. After eating, one brings the dishes and cutlery to the corner of the room to be cleaned. I liked seeing the hippy-dressing people. Overall, we had a pleasant experience at the Golden Temple. It is one of the truly vegan options in town. It is slightly on the expensive side. read more

Food was great the prices was within reason. Just in town for a few weeks and thought I would give it a try , the cafe hours are a little bit different and cleaning was a tad bit subpar. Other than that a great vegan/ vegetarian restaurant. read more

Needed something of substance before going to work--didn't want to do the fast foods in 5 points, so stopped it at Golden Temple for juice. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the juice. I had the juice that was supposed to have cabbage, beets, carrots, ginger, etc. I wasn't watching the cook the whole time, but I only saw him putting carrots in the juice....and that's all it tasted like. I won't be going back for juice. I've been for meals before...it's ok. Very bland. read more

Stopped in as soon as I came in town for the weekend for Vegan Bites. The customer service and knowledge of the menu was mediocre. The greeting wasn't there at all. The food was just ok but the restaurant itself is DISGUSTING. Dusty outlets. Sticky tables. Customers are to help by putting their trash away. I get that but do I have to eat at a dirty table to begin with? Welcome Home to Bham, I guess. read more

4.5/5.0 My friend first introduced me to Golden Temple for their Thursday Lasagna special... SO WORTH IT! :) The white sauce version is just so delicious and very very filling. I've been a couple times for the lunch specials, and I always find that the portions are very generous. The only thing I don't like is that the smell of the place (lots of spices... incense?.. other smells) is a little bit overwhelming and can leave you smelling like it for a while (but that's just a personal thing). Highly recommend if you have time for lunch and are on UAB campus. Oh! The store side seems to have many unique items for sale. It's fun if you want to look around, but I've never actually purchased anything. read more

The meal we had here was super tasty, the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating and after we enjoyed the cafe (fresh juice, hot tea, hummus plate, salad, and tofu salad sandwich) we grabbed some great vegan snacks next door for our travels. Grateful to have found this place on our first day in Birmingham! read more

Golden Temple Cafe - Vitamins & Supplements Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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Probably the best Vegetarian/Vegan place in town. Am frequent to this place and never once the dishes did not disappoint me. Really great atmosphere of calmness and love. That quality of food is obvious in their love for cooking and feeding their customers the best. Would definitely recommend this place for all. Non vegetarians- you will glad that you tried this place:) Best Wishes to Golden temple staff and thanks for serving quality and delicious food. read more

Always delicious food and friendly service! The quesadillas are my favorite. Also check out the daily specials board.

I love this place! There isn't much they don't have. Amazing selection of New Age things, books, crystals and a delicious vegetarian cafe located next door. So good. read more

Parking is crap, but I go here in between classes a couple times a week. They usually have excellent organic apples and blueberries. Grab a peanutbutter cookie (Alternative Baking Co. brand) if you're feeling awesome. The stock is pretty small, but you can grab a few things you might want or need. I haven't had food from the cafe because a friend of mine said it's basically burgers and things that you can make at home. Juice bar sounds great, though. read more

I like this place a lot, but I must admit I'm one of very few of my friends that do. If you want to eat something that's pretty good and wholesome, and you like eating vegetarian food that's well made from time to time, this place is for you. Most of the people that don't like this place, love buffalo wild wings...so what does that tell you? Only open for lunch and they usually aren't terribly crowded, which is probably because of the food they serve (which some people compare to rabbit food). I've been many times and I am certain I will go again many times. read more

This is definitely one of the best places in B'ham to have lunch. The food is filling and always wonderful. Of course, there aren't too many organic and vegetarian restaurants in B'ham to benchmark it against. Still a good, healthful place to eat even if you're a meat eater. Service is minimal but nothing to complain about. If you go there for lunch, try to get there before 12:00 or after 1:00- otherwise you'll have trouble finding a place to park. Try the chili (during the winter) and if they're serving their pita bread pizza with vegan cheese, don't turn it down. read more

Golden Temple is the only vegan restaurant in Birmingham. Besides offering great wholesome food the atmosphere and employees are awesome! Connected to the restaurant is a grocery store. The store offers a variety of organic and healthy living products. Golden Temple is the only natural grocery store on the South side. read more

I've visited this restaurant a few times in the past and I have never been disappointed. I recently, visit here last month with my daughter. We purchase items from the herbal store and then made our way to the restaurant portion of the store. All employees was wearing masks and following Covid-19 restrictions. The customer service was very pleasant and great atmosphere. I ordered 2 nachos and a smoothie. The wait for my order was about 15-20 minutes. We ate our order inside and they do offer orders to go. As far as sustainability dine in orders are served on plates and you have empty your plate in the trash once you are finish. Overall, food was very delicious:) 5/5 read more